Bo Tanner
Real Name: Eddy Dale Ridlehover Jr. Aliases: '''Bo Tanner, James Michael Holloway '''Wanted For: Arson, Bigamy Missing Since: '''September 4, 1990 Case '''Details: After dating for six months, Bo and Debbie Tanner were married on August 16, 1986. They moved to Polebridge, Montana and lived on a 500-acre ranch that once belonged to Debbie's grandfather. They planned on reviving it and brought in a herd of cattle. They also planned to sublease it to other people and raise their cattle as well. Within a few months, they were the overseers of nearly 200 cattle. However, some people in Polebridge thought that a working ranch would ruin the wilderness. As a result, Bo and Debbie tried to preserve the environment as much as possible. They also decided to start a church on their property. They held Sunday services in a makeshift tent, with Bo as the pastor. On September 10, 1989, during the last waxing moon of the summer, someone slashed the tent with a knife and threw hymnals, chairs, and Bibles all over the structure. They then cut the ropes that supported the tent, collapsing it onto itself. Debbie was shocked by the vandalism and believed that someone in the community was out to get them. However, she and Bo did not want to give up on their dreams. They reopened the church at a friend's nearby cabin. On the night of July 8, 1990, during a full moon, the cabin was burned to the ground. Investigators determined that the fire had been deliberately set. Bo told Debbie that someone was after him. Then, on August 4, during another full moon, they came home to find that the cabin had been completely ransacked. The assailant had left behind the message "Get Out" next to a picture of Bo. They also left a bullet pointed towards his face in it. Investigators came and searched for fingerprints in the cabin. They also asked Bo to be fingerprinted for elimination purposes. He agreed to meet at the police station on September 4. At 8am that morning, he dropped Debbie off at the general store where she worked. He told her that he planned to make his weekly supply run to Columbia Falls, thirty miles away. He never returned. However, at some point that morning, he called an investigator and told him that he was running late. At noon, Debbie also received a phone call from Bo. He told her that he was having car trouble and that he would be coming back later than he planned. He said that he would probably do so around 5 or 6pm, but he never did. Debbie and her friends, along with the police, searched every road and footpath around Polebridge. At first, she believed that Bo had been killed by whoever was after him. However, three days later, she received a letter from him. He told her that he had to go back to his family. Debbie was distraught over Bo leaving her. When she went through her mail, she discovered that one month before he vanished, he had taken about $4,000 and emptied their savings. She figured that he was using the money to stay on the run. She later sold the cattle, packed her belongings, and left Montana. Despite the fact that Bo left her, she never gave up her search for him. Six months later, Debbie went to Emory, Utah, where Bo had previously lived. The townspeople recognized him as "Jim Holloway"; they told her that he had been married to a woman in town named Lenora. They met and learned that he had abandoned them both after marrying them. In fact, Lenora's divorce from him wasn't even final until a year after he and Debbie had married. Debbie learned that he had been married five times and never filed for divorce from each of his wives. He is now wanted for bigamy and is suspected of the church fire and vandalism. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the November 27, 1991 episode. Some sources spell Bo's name as "Eddie Riddlehoover". Results: Captured. Police determined that Bo's real name is Eddy Dale Ridlehover Jr. and that he had faked his own death twice while being investigated by police in Texas and Washington. In the former, his car was found abandoned on a bridge and it was assumed that he had committed suicide to avoid an arson investigation. In the latter, he faked his own death by leaving a large quantity of blood in his car. However, testing determined that it had come from an animal. Eddy was arrested in Douglas, Wyoming as a result of the broadcast. However, he could not be charged with bigamy in Washington, because the prosecutor refused to file the charge. He also could not be charged in the arson case because the statue of limitations had expired. On January 20, 1992, he and Debbie met face-to-face for the first time in almost two years. They did so at a restaurant in Douglas, where he was accompanied by his new girlfriend. They agreed to divorce, but she was still happy to know that he was indeed alive and well. Links: * Kalispell Daily Inter Lake (Newspaper) - August 30, 1990 * Officials looking for missing minister * Deputies still want to talk to North Fork area minister * New clues only deepen they mystery of Bo Tanner * TV tackles Tanner case: ‘Bo Knows’ * 'A pile of paper' * Mystery man Tanner located in Wyoming * Minister found in Wyoming * Reunion with elusive husband turns sour * N. Fork case may get TV movie play * Polebridge, MT: Evangelizing, Vandalizing, Bigamizing * Bo Tanner Update on SitcomsOnline ---- Category:Montana Category:1989 Category:1990 Category:Bigamy Category:Arson Category:Disappearances Category:Church-Related Cases Category:Captured